Moss Farming

Welcome to the Plush World of Moss Farming!

Moss can be a filler on top of a potted plant, it can be a little accent in a garden, or a lush, full-fledged replacement for a lawn. To some it is a creeping green scourge that starts in damp corners and crawls across your lawn or roof, but to others who see things with greener eyes, moss is a delightful, visual and tactile experience, a self-trimming substitute for unruly grasses and a lovely addition to the shady parts of your backyard.

This is the first volume of my online moss farming notebook, complete with pictures along the way. It's got a lot of fantastic moss information for beginning moss farmers. When you get to the end of this collection, there's a link to "volume two."

In the spring of 2005, I was on a road trip with a friend in Nevada. Suffice to say, we came home joking about opening a road-side reststop/moss farm. You could get moss spa treatments and all that jazz. Guess we got a little spazzy driving the Extraterrestrial Highway.

In Dec 2005, I moved to Seattle, where moss tends to grow on just about anything left outside eventually. I have a basement room in my house, with a light well at the window. It's not too much of a view. I decided that I would moss farm in the light well, with the goal of having a moss carpet cover the bottom.

What you see here is the light well as it appears when you stand looking down into it from the back yard. My bedroom window is all along the top edge of this photo. I also decided to put a little goddess shrine in the well. Can't you just see her sitting in contemplation of a lovely green carpet of moss?

Rocky Beginnings

light well, photo by Relache

Ways to Grow Moss

If you are interested in cultivating moss, there are a variety of ways to do it. They are listed here in order of increasing complexity and effort.

Nature - you just let the moss do its thing where and when it wants. Most often gardeners who use this method weed the moss to remove other plants that grow in it.

Scattering spores - this is just a step more complex than nature, but still doesn't take much effort. Spores are most often bought from nurseys or garden supply houses.

Seeding with moss bits - this is one of those methods that involves a blender, some moss and a beer. This is the info most often found on the internet.

Transplanting moss - sometimes you can find or buy moss and then transplant it to where you want it to grow. This can involve harvesting from nature, or ordering from specialty moss suppliers.

Cultivating moss - you can purposely set up an area or use flats to grow your own moss sod and then transplant that in sheets to the area where you want it to finally reside.

MOSS GARDENING - the book - by George Schenk

This is one of the premiere moss growing books on the market and it's perfect for me to use as the author was writing about his own experiences in the Pacific Northwest. Many of the gardening techniques are easy to do and have a gentle environmental impact.

Seeding with Beer/Moss Mixture

That beer and blender thing people talk about

I decided in early February to get some sort of moss seeding going in the light well. Although it is on the north side of the house, and thus is well shaded and retains moisture when we have rain, I didn't think the purely natural method would be very satisfying... lol...

A lot of web sites on the net talk about making a moss/beer slurry and then spreading it where you want moss to grow. As most of the moss in the yard was really thick, lush and popping, I figured it was a good time to help spread the green fuzzy love.

I took some nice bits from our front steps and broke it up into the blender with some beer and a bit of sugar, just some recipe I found on about a hundred web sites. That's it here in the picture. It sorta foamed up and I tried to mix it to be "creamy" as suggested. Then I took it outside and smeared it all over some bricks in the well and some of the metal surfaces too, to just see if the moss takes.

A few days after I did that, we entered a period of intense and heavy rain and it really seemed to just wash everything away. Ok, so that's how that method ended up.....

Spores For Scattering

If you absolutely have no natural moss to use to get started, the way you begin growing moss is with spores. Note that a packet of spores looks like dust. Scattered on dirt and kept moist, you can grow small amounts of moss in a few months.

Some Better Moss Advice

The gardener gets more serious

In March I had the opportunity to take a day trip down to Portland from Seattle and one of the featured stops was an amazing bookstore called Powell's.

I was selling some used books and decided that I could have just one or two new-to-me books. In the garden section, I found a copy of Moss Gardening, by Geroge Schenk (see Moss Books below). This is considered to be THE moss Bible for gardeners. Schenk lived in Vancouver, BC, Canada and was a landscape gardener.

It's a fantastic book and I quickly realized this was going to be one of my best resources. The thing I found the most interesting was that Schenk said that moss doesn't even need dirt. It wants an acidic surface that it can grow over. I realized that was what all those recipes involving beer or smearing yogurt on pots was about. Those both raise the surface acidity, which encourages the moss. The book said he'd tried those methods, along with commercial solutions for adjusting the Ph of your soil, but what he liked to use best was powdered instant milk.

I went to the pantry, and sure enough, we had some. So, I scattered a dusting of it on the rocks and surfaces in my light well.

A Moss Crazy Quilt

The idea takes a more definitive shape

During the month of April, I began to harvest moss from our own backyard as well as the neighborhood. If I was taking a walk and came across a really good patch of moss that was in total public space, I'd take a chunk of it. I was limited by what I could carry in both hands.

Some pots in the yard had good layers of moss across the soil surfaces, and I reclaimed those moss layers as my sister's spring seedlings slowly matured and were potted up and moved outside. All the bits I collected were put down on the rock bottom of the light well.

The idea is to form a moss colony, a sort of Victorian crazy quilt of moss. Each chunk is kept with similar mosses so that they form larger colonies and knit together.

For Earth Day weekend in April, I traveled to a private retreat in CA called Gaia's Oasis. They had been having record rain, and the mosses on the land were thick and lush. All over the property there are large boulders with mixed moss colonies on them. The picture here is of just such a rock. You can tell the different mosses apart by their color and varying degrees of dryness. I hope to have a blend of compatible mosses for my carpet eventually.

Weed As Needed

The biggest impediment to moss is any other plants competing in the same space, so weeding out any grasses or shoots while the plants are young makes the whole process easier. This weeding is nicknamed "rice picking" but devoted moss farmers look on it as a form of meditation with one's garden.

Mobile Moss

April showers bring May mosses

This is a great little growth of moss. It's on an aging blue truck, driven by my friend Calyxa who lives in Sunnyvale, CA. She'd mentioned this happening before, and this year, all those record rains in April sure did a great job of reviving this unusual growth of moss.

This is a juncture along the door frame on my friend's truck. The moss just started there itself one year and when there's enough rain, it revives and becomes verdant. I just recently was passing through the Bay Area and got to see the mossy clump for myself and take this picture.

It's growing at a spot where the paint is a bit worn on the truck's surface. The exposed metal would be a bit acidic from wear, and it's that slight acidity that moss really likes. Rocks get acidic when their surfaces wear down, especially from rain, and so, you might say this moss has just attached itself to a modern, suburban rock.

Growing Pots of Moss

Mosses tend to just rest in summer weather

Most often, summer just isn't a time for moss. It's just too dry and sunny. I'm still reading Schenk's moss book. He pointed out that moss is used to a cycle of wet and dry, and some new moss growers will mistakenly think that dry moss is unhealthy moss and try to keep watering it to keep it green.

Whatever your moss does in the summer is what it is supposed to do, so don't panic if it's dry and turns reddish or brown. Trying to keep it constantly wet if it isn't used to it can be unhealthy for your moss. Here in Seattle, we get rain on and off over the summer, so I'm not expecting my moss to dry out completely.

Here's a chunk relocated from a sidewalk in my neighborhood. It peeled up from the concrete in one nice little sheet, and I carried it home. Some moss I've laid on the rocks on the bottom of the light well, but since this one was so fluffy and lovely, I decided to put it into a shallow bonsai pot that was laying around. The pot has some sandy/rocky dirt in it, which helps retain a bit of water and props up the moss. It's been doing great. This pot is sitting on the cinder block, just above the goddess' head.

When we have a week without rain, it starts to get red-brown and with prolonged dryness, the moss will contract and get denser, and browner. However, even a light sprinkle can bring it back from that to what you see here.

summer moss, photo by Relache

Weeding and Critters

Dog days of Summer

The picture here shows a large pot that was full of moss back in the spring. Actually, it still is full of moss, it's just now it's August and not April.

Most of the moss is in the brown and dried summer state. I've also got tiny weeds coming up. Pulling these weeds is the "rice picking" I was referring to as I wind up pinching out teeny, new shoots with two fingers. The weeds are a combo of stuff that was planted in the planter before I decided to let it just go to moss, and seeds and volunteers you get from wind and birds.

Speaking of critters, notice how the moss is all chunked up and torn a bit? That's due to the ravages of squirrels. They see a moss carpet and think "huh, I wonder if I left anything buried there?" and they tear up big pieces or dig holes. I've come out some mornings and found huge areas just utterly turned over and shredded. Since this is summer and a first experiment, I'm not going to net the pot now, but in the fall, when it gets wetter and the moss reasserts itself, I just might do that to keep the moss rooted and protected.

Take A Closer Look

Here are some videos which will let you take a closer look at gardening with moss and how different people are working with it. You might find the right idea for your own garden.

The Rebirth of Moss

Mosses "wake up" in the fall

Take a good look at the picture in the module titled "Weeding and Critters" and then take another look at this picture.

Can you believe it's the same pot of moss? It's true and the pictures are only about a month apart. W&C's picture was taken in early August and this picture was taken in early September.

I haven't really done anything differently, but we've had a slight change in temperature and the days are a tad shorter now that we're moving into fall, and obviously, the moss knows this!

I've usually got one or two very deep squirrel holes to replace/repair nearly every morning. I think I'm going to try to hang in there until the end of the month and then do The Great Moss Transplant down to the light well.

moss transplanting, photo by Relache

Moss In The Hole!

The Great Equinox Moss Migration of '06

It's official! I've got moss growing down in the bottom of my light well! Or more accurately, I'm now working to keep the moss in the light well alive and thriving.

I decided to mark the Autumnal Equinox by migrating a lot of the moss I was cultivating in pots down into the actual light well space. The rains are just starting back up for the winter and a lot of my moss stock seemed healthy and robust enough to do it.

The picture here shows the light well, looking down from the level of the yard. I clustered the moss up at the end I don't use to climb down into the space so that I still have rocks to step on. A lot of the spiders and bugs in the well liked this end too, so I figured it was the best place to start laying out the moss. There are a couple of kinds of moss and I'll just have to wait and see if they all establish themselves or if one variety seems to dominate over the others.

When I lifted the moss out of their pots, I left whatever dirt clung to the underside and just laid the bits down on the rocky bottom of the space. I water it every other day when we haven't had rain which is supposed to help it get established. Last year, the green plushy moss stayed bright and fluffy until April or May, so I'm hoping I'll have this level of greenery all winter.

It's nice to look out my bedroom window and see this project coming together. I figure I'll climb in there and weed once a month during winter. So far, the squirrels have left it alone. I'm letting the big pot I was using as a cultivation space get mossy again, so I may have some more moss ready to transplant during the winter or in early spring depending on how fast it grows back.

november 2006, photo by Relache

The Great Drenching of Ought-Six!

So, at the end of September, I transplanted all that moss down into the light well. October was brisk and sunny. And then in November, Seattle set a new record for rain in a one month time period. In November 2006, there was 15.59" of rain in whatever it is they officially call the Seattle area.

This had little effect on my moss, or if it did, it was just to help it along. The dropping of temps has pretty much stopped any weed growth in the moss, as it's just too cold for the grasses and clovers so I haven't had to care for it at all. I'm pretty sure the rain actually helped it get established. Almost all of it is showing new growth as we round out the end of the year.

On To More Moss Farming

the soft green saga continues... slowly but mossily

So that this doesn't become the never-ending lens (which would be a project unto itself), this lens covers only my beginning adventures with moss.

Please follow along as I continue to expand the mossy carpet in my light well throughout with Moss Gardening. You can see how the moss continues to expand and see how backyard critters love (and wreck) moss from time to time.

Share Your Green, Fuzzy Thoughts! 76 comments

Shaded parts of our lawn have become covered in moss, and stay quite green due to our Canadian east coast dampness. It is great, a nice cushion to walk on and no mowing needed.

Charmcrazey 5 years ago from Central Florida

I have to admit the title drew me in. I've never considered moss farming but it sure is pretty.

justholidays 5 years ago

Ok, so do you want me to send you my excess moss? There's too much of it on my roof and in my garden, lol.

Interesting lens, though.

Blessed by a passing angel on Squidoo.

CherrrieB 5 years ago

I love moss and have some establislhed on my drip line. There the soil doesn't erode due to the help of the moss. Though the best place moss loves to grow is on my shingles. People have come and told me it will damage the roof If I let it stay. Other than that, If I get a chance to get up on my roof to get the moss, I shall fill in more of the drip line.

CherrrieB 5 years ago

I guess between the ground bees and moss, my yard is the way I like it.

Virginia Allain 5 years ago from Central Florida

I started moss gardening in NH three or four years ago. The plush green of the different mosses is so appealing to me. The deer like it too, especially when the moss in the woods is dry while my moss is moist and plump from my misting efforts.

anonymous 5 years ago

Is anyone farming enough moss that they'd like to sell some of it? I've always had a fascination with moss and have decided To get rid of the grass in my backyard.

anonymous 5 years ago

@justholidays: I loved reading about the moss and I really want some for my garden. Do you still have extra? I'm made about moss!

TolovajWordsmith 5 years ago from Ljubljana

I never heard of moss gardening. It looks very interesting. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and beautiful photos.

pawpaw911 5 years ago

Very interesting lens.

anonymous 5 years ago

Hi relache,

Really liked your moss Lense. I never really noticed it as a desirable planting. That was until we were camping in late May in the western mountains of Maryland. It was all over the place on this trail we used each day to get down to the river.

By day three, I was imagining it to be a place where 'the woodland fairies' dwelled. Like nature's welcome mat ~ so soft and inviting. It was just beautiful.

Thanks for reminding me about that great trip! :)

N T T

Ramkitten2000 5 years ago from Flagstaff, Arizona

This is excellent! I love moss and really miss it now that I live in the high desert in Arizona. I remember hiking through Maine on the Appalachian Trail and passing through a green wonderland carpeted and cloaked in moss. It was getting late in the day and couldn't resist sleeping on that soft, squishy bed of green. SO comfortable! not to mention so beautiful in the evening light, filtering through the moss-covered trees.

Ramkitten2000 5 years ago from Flagstaff, Arizona

Oh. P.S. -- *Blessed by this Squid angel on the Back to School Bus Tour*

homerepellent 5 years ago

I'm into the gardening of plants and flowers but the idea of mass farming! I should give this a try, just for the heck of it. Thank you for the inspiration.

Cheers,

Homerepellent

ArtByLinda 5 years ago from Idaho

What a unique hobby to have, this was very interesting. Blessed!

wolfie10 5 years ago

thanks for this nice lens. I am trying to make concrete pots and planters and cover them with moss sounds like something people will like.

MadHaps LM 4 years ago

Moss is a great macro plant so interesting to get up close to. My first lens was "Orchids of the Americas" so I think I may follow it with miniature orchids.

kimbesa2 4 years ago from USA

Never heard of moss farming before this, but it sounds wonderful...I love moss!

ChrisLReed 4 years ago

I've never tried to deliberately grow moss, but I've always loved the way it looks when it establishes itself. I used to have a flower bed that would end up covered in some areas with moss. I'll have to give this a try in the new garden we are creating. Thank you for the idea.

John Dyhouse 4 years ago from UK

I started off reading this for a laugh. A while ago, for an art challenge actually, I started writing a fantasy tale about a country on the southern tip of Eire which was covered in moss and they could not grow normal crops because the weather was so wet. But I actually enjoyed the idea of a moss garden, especially the light well. you have just made a convert. Thanks for a great lens. - blessed

bjslapidary 4 years ago

I've always been intriqued with moss. It grows in the pines here where the sun doesn't get to it. In some woods there are multiple kinds. I like it when it is nice and green and spongy. Thanks for sharing your experience. Nice read.

lilymom24 4 years ago

I love moss and have what I call my "moss garden" in a planter on my porch. I wasn't planning on growing any but once it started, I let it continue to grow. Lovely lens. =)

Art-Aspirations 4 years ago

Moss farming is new to me, but I have always tried to convince my husband that it looks better than grass on the north side of our house. Why fight it?

Lovely lens.

emmaklarkins 4 years ago

I love moss! We used to have a fair bit growing in Maine. I'd love to try this someday.

parwatisingari lm 4 years ago

that interests me, growing moss in pots

Mistl 4 years ago

Beautiful and it looks so soft! :)

Julia Morais 4 years ago

I stay in a country with hot climate. I've seen moss grow before, but am not sure whether it can grow outdoors in this heat. I would love to have it grow somewhere in my garden though.

BuddyBink 4 years ago

I like moss but, I never thought of farming it. Very interesting. Thanks

megabu717 4 years ago

Never thought of farming the moss and I have an ideal place for it. Great lens. Thanks a lot!

jimmyworldstar 4 years ago

What uses are there for moss? Isn't it just a nuisance?

JZinoBodyArt 4 years ago

Awesome lens! I never thought of moss farming but I would much rather have moss than grass.

jwcooney 4 years ago

Very useful information, I really like the look of moss, but before reading this had no real idea how to propagate or grow it properly. It would be neat if I could make some grow in some flower pots that I have. I will try using the powdered instant milk method since you say that works best. Thanks for the great information!

schwarz 4 years ago from Seattle, WA Author

@jimmyworldstar: I think if you go back and read the lens, you'll answer your own question.

shandigp 4 years ago

How pretty! I think I'll try this, and I imagine the best time in my area is soon.

shandigp 4 years ago

I wish I hadn't pulled the "dead" moss out of a bonsai I bought. So sad! I know how to replant it now though!

Charlino99 4 years ago from USA

I have a few places in the back yard where the most is thick and green all year round. Truly one of natures jewels. Your information will come in handy when I consolidate the moss for a corner in the garden. Thank you for sharing this.

anonymous 4 years ago

Is there a "better" time of year to nurture moss in a new area? I've heard spring and autumn but I can be impatient and want to do it now! It's February in northern England so we have about 6 degrees at the moment but the weather is very changeable. We had -7 here a week ago.

anonymous 4 years ago

Interesting lens!

schwarz 4 years ago from Seattle, WA Author

@anonymous: The best time of year is whenever it is moist/damp but not too hot or cold. For most locations that often spring or fall, but where I am in the Pacific Northwest of the US, it can be a lot of summer too. Watch your local moss, it's easy to see when it gets thick and plush.

anonymous 4 years ago

My mom used to try to grow grass where there was moss, not realizing that the moss liked the area and the grass didn't. I have a great variety of mosses and want to spread their carefree beauty. Thanks to your careful, well thought out experiment I know just what to do. Thank you for your insights and advice. Mark in Ridgewood, NJ

SteveKaye 4 years ago

Moss may be the plant that I need for my office. Thank you for publishing this lens.

anonymous 4 years ago

Our yard is becoming a moss farm on its own! Here on Cape Cod we usually have pretty good growing conditions for it. This year has been a challenge. It's been so dry but the rains are coming! I want to let the whole lower yard go to moss but there is still a great deal of grass growing there too. Do I just let mom nature take its course or is there something more "active" I can do? We are talking about a space that is about 1/2 acre, and we do have an irrigation system. Some of it is in bright sun so I'm guessing that the moss won't spread there. Can we still fertilize the grass (we use organic stuff) and just stop when we get to a mossy section or will that kill any moss that might spread there? The moss is really taking over and I thrilled but I certainly don't want to discourage it.

Thanks! Cape Cod Momma

arcarmi 4 years ago

Fascinating lens! Very creative! Noce job!

anonymous 4 years ago

I have a wide swatch of moss behind my house and I want to boost it. What can I spray on it to make it grow faster?

caffimages 4 years ago

Interesting idea! I have a lot of moss growing in an neglected lawn. Maybe i'll try some of your ideas...

schwarz 4 years ago from Seattle, WA Author

@anonymous: Moss is a plant just like grass is. You want to support the plants you want (moss) and not support the plants you are trying to minimize (the grass).

schwarz 4 years ago from Seattle, WA Author

@anonymous: Moss grows as fast as it grows. Your best bet is to pull up any weeds, grass or other plants competing for the same space. You can't speed up moss.

anonymous 4 years ago

Moss is very fascinating to look at closely with a hand lens the perfect miniature plant. It always looks so lush and green. What a good idea to use it as a garden feature. Lovely article thank you.

DebMartin 4 years ago

I love moss. My yard has become full of it and quite the varieties I'm finding. Now I want more lichen. d

Snakesmum 4 years ago from Victoria, Australia

I love moss, and now I'm inspired to try and grow more of it. Thanks for writing this lens.

erin-elise 4 years ago

I love your lens, it's really great! I've been trying to establish different types of mosses and ground covers that look like moss (I don't know if they're considered a moss or not) but I'm having problems with snails eating some of it (and everything else!). I love moss and have been trying to get it to grow in different areas of my yard, but I just started about six months ago so I'm still trying to get it going. Also, I live in Sacramento so it's going to be pretty dry here soon but now I know that it's normal for it to turn brown. Thank you for the info!

YogaAngel 4 years ago

This is so cool!

Echo Phoenix 4 years ago

I love moss and your lens;)

tsimm51415 4 years ago

Great lens! I love to garden and have never considered growing moss, but I am going to now. Thanks!

Rosaquid 4 years ago

I live in the desert, so I crave occasional green. Thanks for the fix! I chose you lens for my Rainbow Quest - Green today. Thank you for a well-done green lens.

irminia 4 years ago

I had no idea about moss, thanx for sharing.

RinchenChodron 4 years ago

What great in depth coverage of moss. Well deserved Purple Star.

Elyn MacInnis 4 years ago from Shanghai, China

I took a semester class on mosses - loved it. They live in such a tiny world. But I never heard anyone talk about cultivating them, and so I love your lens. I read (almost) every word! What a wonderful page you have here... Angel blessings to you!

Allison Whitehead 4 years ago

Fascinating. I must try relocating some moss from our lawn to another more welcome location in the garden.

traktorji 4 years ago

I like using moss, simple to use and looks great.

schwarz 4 years ago from Seattle, WA Author

@traktorji: Moss is so fun. Our fall rains have just started and I'm looking forward to seeing the moss green up again after the summer.

Gypzeerose 4 years ago

Really fun, pinned onto my "how does your garden grow" board.

jenny-archer-9 4 years ago

great if it,s not in the lawn

wvclaylady 3 years ago from Davisville, WV

What a great read! I have always loved moss, but it never occurred to me that you could grow it on purpose! LOL

ismeedee 3 years ago

I love moss- the way it looks and feels. Unfortunately so does our kitten who keeps picking bits of it up and bringing into the house making such a mess! Haha!

suepogson 3 years ago

What a great idea!

debra-cornelius 3 years ago

Moss gardening...whoda thunk it? ;) Seriously - Fun! Even started a new board on my Pinterest to highlight gardening tips and ideas now that you have me started!!!! ... ;)

ecogranny 3 years ago from San Francisco

I love, love, love this! Your verdigris Goddess is especially beautiful. I've growing all kinds of things on my northern-facing windowsills. I wonder if I could grow mosses indoors here in San Francisco. May give that a try.

StrongMay 3 years ago

Fascinating idea - growing moss. I love the fuzzyness of it when I come across it along creeks.

EmmaCooper LM 3 years ago

Cool lens - Blessed by a SquidAngel :)

Sky Breeze 3 years ago

Thank you for this great lens of useful information and nice pictures! I would like to grow moss.

jmchaconne 3 years ago

What a great lens! I'm building a small water feature with several falls. streams and pools, one of the streams and a pool is inside a cave like environment with little light. Your seeding with a beer/moss mix is a perfect solution to moss cover the interior walls and ceiling! Thank you for the useful information,

schwarz 3 years ago from Seattle, WA Author

@jmchaconne: Be sure to make your mixture really thick for sticking to vertical surfaces! It can take more than one attempt to get the moss really growing.